1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable terminal including Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Phones (DMB phone), game phones, camera phones, cellular phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), Hand Held phones and the like, and in particular, to a folding type portable cradle which can be conveniently carried along with accessories for a portable terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a “portable terminal” refers to an electronic device which a user can conveniently carry while wirelessly communicating with another user. In consideration of portability, design of such a portable terminal has gravitated towards compactness, slimness and lightweight design, as well as towards providing multimedia capabilities for allowing the user to pursue a wider variety of functions. In particular, future portable terminals will be used for many functions while still remaining compact and light, as well as being modified to be suitable for functioning in a multimedia environment and for providing Internet access and functions.
Conventional portable terminals can be classified into various types according to their appearance, such as bar-type portable terminals, flip-type portable terminals, and folder-type portable terminals. Further, portable terminals can be classified as neckwear-type terminals and wristwear-type portable terminals, according to the position at which or the way in which a user wears the terminal. Additionally, portable terminals can be classified as rotation-type terminals and sliding-type terminals according to the manner of opening and closing the portable terminals. The various classifications of portable terminals are easily understood by those skilled in the art.
It is now common practice to watch various motion pictures through the portable terminal in a DMB mode and to enjoy entertainment, such as various games, in a multimedia environment by using the portable terminal. However, the conventional portable terminal has no separate cradle, thereby making it inconvenient to watch various motion pictures in the DMB mode when it is located on a desk, etc. Although vehicles have a separate cradle for making it possible to cradle the portable terminal, there exists no cradle, which can be used anytime, and anywhere.
Conventionally, a cradle for the portable terminal is also used as a charger. That is, a charging cradle is used for charging the portable terminal. A conventional charger charges electricity to the portable terminal which is vertically or slantingly cradled in the charger. However, since such a charger is adapted to only one type of the portable terminal, it cannot be used as a cradle for another type of the portable terminal. Additionally, the charger cannot be easily carried as an accessory in order to cradle the portable terminal. Particularly, the total size of the charger is large making it impossible to easily carry the charger as an accessory. Therefore, there is required a portable cradle which has a function of simply cradling the portable terminal.
Further, the conventional cradle has a structure in which the portable terminal can be cradled in the cradle, not in a landscape mode, but in only portrait mode. Actually, it is preferred for a user to selectively keep a display unit in a portrait mode or a landscape mode, so as to watch images displayed on a display unit.